Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The first commandment given in the Levitical sacrificial legislation has to do with the animals appropriate to sacrifice: "When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of cattle ( behemah ), from the herd or the flock" (Lev. 1:2). Cattle alone were…
This post was originally posted in 2004 The ultimate condemnation of a position in Reformed circles is to show that it “leads back to Rome.” Indeed, one gets the feeling that Rome is a worse destination for a Presbyterian than even hell itself. The accusation of Rome stings deeply, of…
There are countless scholars who have helped me in my reading of various passages of Scripture. I have gleaned insights and keys from them that have unlocked texts that once perplexed me. However, no scholar has done so much to teach me how to read the Scripture more generally than…
The Tortoise and the Hare is perhaps the most well-known of the Greek fables. Its story has been present in every era of human history. From the Indigenous retellings with hummingbirds and cranes to the Biblical account of David and Goliath, the basic furniture of an unlikely hero tale is…
Sexual sins are perhaps the most shame-inducing sins experienced by Christians and non-Christians alike. All sins can bring shame, but sexual sins are deeply personal and affect us in profound ways. For example, adultery leaves its victim devastated by betrayal; porn addiction leaves men feeling gross, pathetic, and lazy; losing…
If the mark of a good book is how many times a person can re-read it with pleasure, Richard Adams’ novel Watership Down is one of the best books of the 20 th century. I’ve taught this book in my middle school literature class for the past three years, and…
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In a 1987 essay on equality as a moral ideal , Harry Frankfurt notes that setting up equality of wealth or income as a social ideal diverts one's attention from oneself to concern over the assets of others: “To the extent that people are preoccupied with equality for its own…
In both Hebrew ( mal'ak ) and Greek, “angel” means “messenger.” At the outset, the “angels” who appear to human beings are spiritual beings. Yahweh Himself comes to Abraham as the Angel of Yahweh (Genesis 18-19), and then to Gideon and Samson's parents. In each case, the human recipients offer…
Yahweh chose Abram and called him from Ur. He promised a land, and enough see to fill the land and make it fruitful. With the promises came obligations. Yahweh “knew” Abram so that Abram might do something to achieve certain results. The Abrahamic obligation is laid out succinctly in Genesis…
Almost no one knows the name of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. That is unfortunate, but may be changing as Rosenstock's intimate friend Franz Rosenzweig enjoys a boomlet of attention and with the publication of Wayne Cristaudo's Religion, Redemption, and Revolution . Among that tiny subculture that has actually heard of Rosenstock, it…
In a 2013 essay evaluating the Parliamentary bill on gay marriage, John Milbank observes that British “legislators have recognised that it would be intolerable to define gay marriage in terms equivalent to ‘consummation,’ or to permit ‘adultery’ as legitimate ground for gay divorce.” In these decisions, “the legislators have been…
In his Tristan and Isolde , Gottfried of Strassburg lays out a non-courtly, non-comic, mystical vision of love. As WTH Jackson puts it in The Anatomy of Love , Gottfried rejects the comic vision of love as uncomplicated and easy joy. He also rejects the idea that the lover seeks…
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